BC Productions proudly announces the premiere of Visiting Sam, a romantic comedy in two acts. With script by local playwright Earl Lewin, Visiting Sam chronicles the story of Rhoda and Ed whose star-crossed love affair is about to come to a crossroads in a shady bar in New York City. Both characters come from Ivy League backgrounds and have been friends for years. They have been incapable of expressing their true feelings for one another. Ed hopes that an evening in a bar will take them out of their comfort zones and force the moment to its crisis.
Performances of Visiting Sam will be held at Church Hill Theatre beginning on Friday, August 1st and running through Sunday, August 10th.
Lewin, a published playwright, having had two one act plays published by Baker’s Plays, brings his extensive experience to directing his own script. His recent work includes book and lyrics for a musical version of She Stoops to Conquer, book and lyrics for an original musical Celluloid (performed Off-Off Broadway in 2010), and the murder-musical The Burgundy Wine Mob, (performed Off-Off Broadway in 2012). Lewin also submitted a short script titled Not Responsible to the Short Play Lab’s MidTown Festival which was selected and performed Off-Broadway in 2013. He plans to take Visiting Sam to New York in 2015. Church Hill Theatre has a long collaborative history with Lewin having debuted many of his production on its stage.
Following a reading of new plays at a Samuel French Publishing House seminar, Ed (John Haas) and Rhoda (Amy Moredock), friends from their college days at Princeton, stop at a neighborhood bar to discuss the event. Ed does not have anything good to say about the way the seminar was handled, and the seminar leader, Gloria Metzbaum (Jane Copple), suddenly enters the bar. The evening is already going poorly after problems with the bar patrons Gladys (Carolyn Hailey) and Henry (Tom Dorman), barkeep and proprietor Bob (Brian Whitaker), and pestering by a philosophical street person, Sidney (Howard Messick). It gets worse when a local cop, Salvador (Chris Rogers), comes in and shakes things up. This is not the evening Ed planned nor the one Rhoda had hoped for.
Lewin populates this romantic comedy of errors with a seasoned local cast including John Haas as Ed. Haas has appeared in a variety of challenging roles at CHT, as well with the Peake Players. Most recently, Haas appeared in the intense drama Rabbit Hole. He also performed in CHT’s Chapter Two opposite Amy Moredock who portrays Rhoda. Moredock is a veteran of theatres both in the Ohio Valley and on the Eastern Shore. She has performed in several BC Productions both on the Shore and in New York City, most recently in productions of The Burgundy Wine Mob and Not Responsible.
Portraying streetwise barkeep Bob is Brian Whitaker, most recently seen in CHT’s production of South Pacific in the unforgettable role of Billick. Whitaker has a very long, accomplished list of roles at CHT and the Prince Theatre. In the role of seminar leader Gloria Metzbaum is Jane Copple who has been preforming community theatre for over 30 years. Most recently she reprised her role as Bloody Mary in CHT’s South Pacific which she originally portrayed in 2002. Howard Mesick fills the role of the evening’s Shakespearean fool, Sidney. Mesick has appeared in a wide variety of roles with CHT, The Prince, and Shore Shakespeare Company, and has written several short plays presented at the Garfield’s Short Attention Span Theatre and Revolutionary Theatre.
Chris Rogers plays Salvador, a hard-boiled and lecherous NY beat cop. Rogers has an extensive list of leading roles to his credit, appearing most recently with Shore Shakespeare Company, which he co-founded. Rounding out the cast are Tom Dorman in the role of Henry and Carolyn Hailey as Gladys. Dorman has been seen on the CHT stage in productions of She Stoops To Conquer, Celluloid, The Odd Couple, The Fantastics, Our Town, Laughter On The 23rd Floor, and Desire Under The Elms. Hailey is likewise familiar to Eastern Shore theatregoers from her roles in She Stoops to Conquer, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Our Town, Fuddy Mears, Ravenscroft, The Midnight Caller, and Jakes Women.
Assisting Lewin with the production is an equally experienced and accomplished crew: Sam Rickets (Production Assistant); Jusden Messick (Stage Manager and Crew); Brian Draper (Set Decoration); Lewin (Set Construction); Barbi Bedell (Costumes); Doug Kaufmann (Lighting and Sound Design/Operation); Dane Long (stage crew); and Robbie Spray (stage crew).
Please join Ed and Rhoda (John Haas & Amy Mordock) and the eclectic crew, Sidney, Gladys, Henry, Gloria,Salvador, Bob. (Howard Mesick, Carolyn Hailey Tom Dorman, Jane Copple, Chris Rogers, and Brian Whitaker.) who assemble at Bob’s Bar for drinks, merriment, and chicanery (photo by Monte Hailey). Catch it before it appears Off-Broadway! Make reservations to see Visiting Sam at Church Hill Theatre and say you saw it first. The show opens on Friday, August 1st and runs through Sunday, August 10th. Performances begin at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 2pm on Sundays. Tickets are $15.00 Call the CHT office at 410.758.1331 to make reservations.
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